During our trip to Trieste first and Venice later, many Spritzes were consumed… An alcoholic long drink that has established itself, especially in recent years (thanks to the well-known Aperol advertisement of 2008), as the quintessential Italian aperitif.

Initially known as “Venetian spritz”, and later simply as “spritz”, it became an official IBA cocktail in 2011; its Venetian origin can be traced back to the custom of Austrian Imperial troops stationed in the Lombardy-Venetia Kingdom of diluting local wines, which were of high alcohol content, with seltzer or sparkling water.

The original Spritz recipe, dating back to the 1920s and 30s and contested among Padova, Venice, and Treviso, calls for equal parts soda and white wine, not to be confused with the much more famous variant with Aperol introduced after 1919, the year Aperol was launched on the market.
The Aperol Spritz spread first in Venice and then in Padova.

Due to the fame that has engulfed Aperol Spritz, an almost endless series of variations on the theme have emerged: from the use of Campari instead of Aperol (typical of Milan) and the more recent one: the Hugo (from Trentino), with elderflower syrup.
In Brescia, it is called “pirlo” and is based on Franciacorta sparkling wine.

Aperol, like Campari, is a bitter, and the recipe is still unknown and, given its success, has remained unchanged over the years.

The orange-colored drink, taken on its own, has a flavor strongly characterized by citrus fruits and distinguished by the right mix of herbs and high-quality infusions, including rhubarb.